NEW YORK, NY.- Betty Krulik Fine Art, Ltd announces the exhibition, In the Circle of Hans Hofmann: Works from the Hannan Art Collection. Included in the exhibition are works by Al Held, Larry Zox, Jan Muller and features the work of Tom Hannan. February 20-March 15, 2013.

Tom Hannan was born in Traverse City, Michigan, was a jazz drummer as a youth, and attended Cleveland School of Art on Scholarship from 1948-50, he attended Wayne State University. In 1950 Hannan received a scholarship to study painting at the Hans Hofmann School in New York. He was Hofmanns studio assistant from 1950-53. The other artists studying with Hofmann at the time were James Gahagan, Jan Muller, Robert Henry, James and Nieves Marchalek Billmyer, Miles Forest, Lillian Orlowsky, Wolf Kahn, Earl Pierce and Gerald Samuels, with whom he remained friends.

Hannan was a founding member of the James Gallery, a co-op gallery like Hansa, where in 1954 he had his first one man show. Tom exhibited widely in the 1950s and 1960s, the New Gallery, Provincetown, MA; Long Island University, Bradford Junior College, MA; Lawrenceville School, NJ; City Center Gallery, NY; Washington University, St. Louis; Alan Stone Gallery, New York; Quay Gallery, CA.

In 1956, Hannan was hired by Robert Weinstock of Prestige Records to design jazz album covers, including his own photographs, many of which were award winning covers; such as Sonny Rollins Saxophone Colossus and Tenor Madness. He would attend recording sessions and photograph the musicians. Often those photographs were incorporated into the covers.

In 1957, Hannan and his wife Alison moved to a loft building where many of his friends from Hofmanns school lived, Jan Muller, James Gahagan, Gerald Samuels, amongst them.

Tom Hannans talents were many, photography, painitng, typography, and design. Amongst his many collaborations were the American National Exhibition, Sokolniki Park, Moscow, (1959) ; and exhibition designer for the Museum of Natural History, NY, installing Margaret Meads Biology Hall (1960-66).

Hannan painted through the 1960s, but by 1970 began a successful career as a dealer in American furniture and decorative arts which occupied him till the end of his life in 2000.

The exhibition includes and introduces Tom Hannans work. The8 small jewel like works are alive with color and a vibrant paint surface they have a power which belies their small size. Included in the exhibition are large harder edge abstractions in larger scale, and a series of 20 works on paper.

Included in the exhibition are works by his friends, Al Held, Jan Muller, Charles Littler and Hans Hofmann.